A sheep in wolf's clothing

Category: Arsenal

Arsenal have a pair of moves in the works with the club hoping to complete the signing of Lucas Torreira from Sampdoria next week after the midfielder’s World Cup campaign came to an end on Friday. Uruguay lost 2-0 to France in the quarterfinals, finally freeing up Torreira to undergo a medical with the Gunners. According to BBC Sport, the exact timing will depend on whether he chooses to fly straight from Russia to London to conclude the transfer or whether he returns home to Uruguay for some post-tournament R&R first.

Uruguay have dropped a massive hint that Lucas Torreira could be about to join Arsenal after their elimination from the World Cup. Arsenal are understood to have agreed a £26.4million deal to land Torreira this summer but the Gunners have had to wait to complete the signing of the 22-year-old midfielder. Torreira confirmed that he chose to delay his medical until after Uruguay’s participation in Russia and it appears the Sampdoria man is on his way to north London imminently. An official statement from Uruguay’s FA revealed that Torreira was not on the flight with the rest of his team-mates as they headed back to Montevideo following a 2-0 defeat to France.

And the Gunners are also keen to move for a player who helped bounce Torreira’s side from the tournament in Russia with Sky Sports reporting that Sevilla and France midfielder Steven N’Zonzi is also on the summer wishlist. N’Zonzi has featured regularly for France in Russia and new Arsenal boss Unai Emery will know what he’s in for with the 29-year-old having established a relationship with him after managing him during his time in charge at Sevilla.

Arsenal have completed the signing of the Greece international Sokratis Papastathopoulos from Borussia Dortmund for a fee of €20m (£17.7m). The 30-year-old defender, who has won 79 caps for his country, was identified as one of Unai Emery’s prime transfer targets after the Spaniard took over from Arsène Wenger as manager. He has signed a “long-term contract” and becomes Emery’s third completed signing after the purchase of the German goalkeeper Bernd Leno for £19m from Bayer Leverkusen and the arrival of the 34-year-old Switzerland full-back Stephan Lichtsteiner on a free transfer from Juventus.

The former AEK Athens defender joins his former Dortmund teammates Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at the Emirates Stadium. “They said to me the best things about this club, that it is one big family and of course they also called me not every day but a lot of times telling me to come here,” Papastathopoulos said. “Yes it’s a little bit [strange] but it’s also very beautiful that I’ve come to one team but I also have two players who I was together with for a lot of years. I know them both very well and I’m very happy.” Papastathopoulos, described by his former manager Thomas Tuchel as “a little obsessed with defending”, made 28 Bundesliga appearances last season having established himself as a mainstay of Dortmund’s defence since joining from Werder Bremen in 2013.

The 30-year-old arrives from Borussia Dortmund, where he won two Bundesliga titles and one German Cup. The hugely-experienced defender lists Werder Bremen, AC Milan, Genoa and AEK Athens among his previous clubs. Sokratis, who will wear the No 5 shirt for us, also has vast experience on the international stage, making 79 appearances for Greece. This deal is subject to the completion of regulatory processes.

Standard annual footballer contracts run from July 1 to June 30 each year meaning that, come July 1 2018, all of the following players are going to be free agents:

Marc Bola

Santi Cazorla

Alex Crean

Vlad Dragomir

Aaron Eyoma

Yassin Fortune

Ryan Huddart

Chiori Johnson

Hugo Keto

Per Mertesacker

Tafari Moore

Jack Wilshere

The Gunners had earlier announced the departures of big names Santi Cazorla, Per Mertesacker and Jack Wilshere, however seeing this made official on Sunday will bring tears to the eyes of some Arsenal fans. Cazorla has been at the club since 2012, Mertesacker since 2011 and Wilshere since 2001 – he joined at the age of nine.

Arsenal will complete a £16million deal for Borussia Dortmund defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos next week, according to The Star. The Gunners are also on the brink of completing the £26million signing of Lucas Torreira from Sampdoria, reports the Telepgraph. Arsenal boss Unai Emery is including Lucas Torreira in his plans for next season. The Telegraph say the new Gunners manager wants to build his midfield around Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey. Emery then plans to add Torreira to the mix to bolster his midfield ranks at the Emirates. Torreira is currently at the World Cup with Uruguay but Sampdoria sporting director Carlo Osti has confirmed the 22-year-old had left the club.

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere is to complete a move to Fenerbahce on Monday, according to reports in Turkey. The England midfielder will be a free agent when his Gunners contract ends on Sunday, and confirmed his departure on social media. Moves to Spain and Italy had been mooted in recent weeks but it now appears the 26-year-old is on the brink of a move to the Turkish giants. Wilshere had a decent campaign with Arsenal last season having spent 2016/17 on loan at Bournemouth as he looked to get an injury plagued career back on track.

His performances, though, did not convince incoming Arsenal manager Unai Emery and he is now being released by the Gunners. Fenerbahce finished second in the Turkish Super Lig last season, challenging Galatasaray for the title. Wilshere is seen as an upgrade on 37-year-old ex-Newcastle star Emre Belozoglu.

With two confirmed deals and 1 to be confirmed on July 1st Arsenal are now looking at midfielders. Unai Emery is adamant that his new club sign his former player Ever Banega, yet today it is reported that Sevilla will do everything in their power to hold on to midfielder Ever Banega amid interest from Arsenal, insisting that he is “not for sale” and doubling down on their ability to talk the player into staying. The Argentina midfielder is considering his options this summer after some behind-the-scenes changes at the club and has an achievable release clause understood to be in the region of €20m (£17.6m) this summer.

Unai Emery is very familiar with the player from his own time in Seville and is well aware of the qualities and experience that the 29-year-old playmaker could bring in a time of rebuilding at the Emirates. It is also thought that the signing of another South American player is a done deal. Arsenal have already signed Lucas Torreira, according to the agent of ANOTHER player. Torreira’s move has been in the pipeline for a matter of weeks after the midfielder’s impressive performances in Serie A.

But the Gunners have also been linked with Celta Vigo man Stanislav Lobotka in recent times. However, his agent Branislav Jasurek rubbished those reports, while simultaneously confirming that Torreira will be an Arsenal player next term. “Arsenal have bought Torreira to play six, so I do not think it’s going to happen,” he told La Voz de Galicia. “We only had a few words about feelings about the club, about what we think about Stanko’s future, but nothing in particular.”

Here is another deal that seems to be almost all wrapped up. Arsenal have been looking out for a defensive minded midfielder and we may have that player within our graps, if news reports are accurate – this one quotes the president of Sampdoria, where the player in question is currently signed onto, hence it is mostly legitamate.

Arsenal are seemingly on the verge of signing midfielder Lucas Torreira after Sampdoria president Massimo Ferrero confirmed the player had “left” the Seria A side. Torreira, 22, is seen as one of Serie A’s most talented young midfielders, a modern playmaker who can win the ball back as well as distribute it, something missing from Arsenal’s play in recent seasons as Granit Xhaka continues to flatter to deceive. He will be the latest signing that recruitment czar Sven Mislintat has been charged with revamping Unai Emery’s first Arsenal squad ready for the new season, with goalkeeper Bernd Leno joining on Tuesday from Bayer Leverkusen.

Now a Uruguayan international, Torreira is part of an exciting midfield revolution under Oscar Washington Tabarez as the World Cup dark horses look to squeeze the last out of their prolific generation of strikers in Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani. Speaking on Italian television, Ferrero said: “Torreira left for 30m euro. I bought him from Pescara when no one believed in him. We placed a bet and we won, paying just 3m euro. Torreira, originally a striker before moving backwards into midfield, is did not start Uruguay’s opener against Egypt on Friday but made a second-half appearance from the bench.

The highly-rated 26-year-old made more than 230 appearances for Leverkusen in more than seven seasons with the Bundesliga side.

Spending most of his youth career at Stuttgart, Leno signed for Leverkusen in 2011 and that September became the youngest goalkeeper to feature in a Champions League match at the age of just 19 years and 193 days, during Leverkusen’s group-stage game against Chelsea.

A Germany international, Bernd received his first senior international call-up in 2015 and has since won six caps for his country. Last year he was part of the Germany squad that won the 2017 Confederations Cup. Leno, 26, moves to the Emirates Stadium as the club continue to reshape both the squad and off-field structure following the arrival of Emery in May as new head coach to succeed Arsene Wenger.

“For me it’s a dream to play for Arsenal,” Leno said on the Premier League club’s official website. In Germany, Arsenal are so famous and when I heard it (transfer), I was a little bit nervous, but at that moment it was clear for me: I wanted to sign for Arsenal.” Emery described the German as “a goalkeeper of high quality and experience”, but it remains to be seen whether he will directly compete with both veteran Petr Cech and David Ospina, who is away at the World Cup with Colombia. Arsenal added that the German’s shirt number “will be announced in due course”.

Swiss defender Stephan Lichtsteiner has arrived on a free from Juventus, while midfielder Granit Xhaka has signed a new, long-term contract along with 20-year-old winger Ainsley Maitland-Niles. A potential £27million deal for Sampdoria midfielder Lucas Torreira, who is with Uruguay at the World Cup, is understood to be in the pipeline along with a transfer for Borussia Dortmund centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos.

Jack Wilshere has confirmed he will leave Arsenal when his contract expires on July 1 after new boss Unai Emery failed to give him assurances of regular playing time. After an extensive meeting with the Spaniard, Wilshere says he was informed his game time would be “significantly reduced” and he insists he needs to be playing regularly at this point in his career. The 26-year-old revealed he even agreed to sign a financially reduced contract after several months of negotiations in order to commit his future to the club at which he has spent the past 17 years. On Instagram, Wilshere said: “Following a number of extensive conversations with those at the club, and in particular a recent meeting with the new manager Unai Emery, I felt that I was ultimately left with little choice but to make the decision that I have due to purely footballing reasons.

“As has widely been reported I, along with my representative, have been in talks with the club for a number of months with the view to signing a new contract to extend my stay at the Emirates. “My intention throughout these discussions has always been to remain an Arsenal player. I have been on the books at Arsenal for 17 years and have always felt part of the fabric of the club. Such was my desire to stay that I had in fact recently agreed to sign a financially reduced contract in order to commit my future to the club. “However, following my meeting with the new manager, I was made aware that although the reduced contract offer remained, it was made clear to me that my playing time would be significantly reduced should I decide to stay. I am sure everyone can understand that, at this point in my life and career, I need to be playing regular first-team football and following my meeting with Mr Emery I came away with the feeling that it would be very difficult for me to do so at Arsenal. “Given this, I feel I have no option but to pursue other opportunities in order to progress my career on the pitch.”

Newspaper reports have linked Wilshere with moves to Premier League sides Fulham, Crystal Palace, West Ham, Everton and Wolves, as well as Serie A clubs Juventus, Sampdoria and AC Milan – and the player says he is “fit, sharp and strong” but will take time to consider his next move. Arsenal, who included Wilshere in their initial promotional material for their new home kit, responded to Wilshere’s announcement by placing their thanks for his contributions, especially towards two FA Cup titles in recent seasons. Wilshere calls time at the Emirates after 197 appearances and 14 goals in all competitions, having become one of previous boss Arsene Wenger’s most promising academy graduates. Wilshere said: “I have experienced some incredible times at Arsenal and have met friends that will last a lifetime. I leave memories that will stay with me forever from my time at the club.

“From making my debut at such a young age, to playing in the Champions League and of course winning two FA Cups in consecutive seasons, there are just too many highlights to mention. “There will be the opportunity to talk properly when the time is right but for now I would just like to thank everyone at the club for everything over the past 17 years, in particular Arsene Wenger and his staff, all of my team-mates over the years, everyone at the club academy for helping me to fulfill my dream and of course the fans, who I have always shared such a special relationship with. I will never be able to truly repay the love, faith and belief that the fans have always shown in me. It’s meant so much to me and my family over the years and I hope you are able to celebrate the success you deserve in the coming years. Thank you.”

“I would like to place on record my respect for Mr Emery and my appreciation for his honesty and candour, and I wish him, the team and the club all the very best for the future.”

The Gunners are closing in on three deals as Unai Emery’s squad begins to take shape. Arsenal have already signed Stephan Lichtsteiner from Juventus on a free transfer. And now they are set to close out deals for Lucas Torreira, Bernd Leno and Sokratis Papastathopoulos, according to the Evening Standard. Torreira will cost £26m from Sampdoria, Leno £20m from Bayer Leverkusen and Sokratis will be £16m from Borussia Dortmund. Arsenal set their transfer budget at around £50m for the summer after appointing Emery to replace Arsene Wenger.

But that figure will be added to when taking in player sales with Shkodran Mustafi and Lucas Perez likely to leave. There is also expected to be interest in Hector Bellerin, although nothing concrete yet. Emery is meeting Jack Wilshere this week to discuss his future with his contract up later this month. Aaron Ramsey is also set for talks over a new deal with just 12 months left on his. Emery would like another central defender to go with Sokratis as Laurent Koscileny will miss the start of the season and Calum Chambers could leave.

New Arsenal boss Emery wants to give Petr Cech competition with Leno highly-rated by bigwigs at the Emirates. The former Chelsea goalkeeper has just one year left on his current contract. German outlet SportBild say Arsenal have moved quickly for Leno with the signing likely to happen imminently. The Leverkusen shot-stopper narrowly missed out on a World Cup place with Germany meaning a transfer will be easier to complete. Leno kept 12 clean sheets in all competitions for the Bundesliga side last season. Leverkusen are said to want a minimum of £17.5m for the goalkeeper, according to the reports.

Arsenal have announced the signing of former Juventus defender Stephan Lichtsteiner. The Switzerland international is currently a free agent, but the deal is subject to the completion of regulatory processes. The 34-year-old was out of contract at the Serie A champions and joins the Gunners ahead of captaining Switzerland at the World Cup.

In a statement on his official Twitter page, Lichtsteiner said: “Happy and honoured to be a Gunner! “Will work hard and passionately day in and day out to achieve our sporting objectives and to win trophies with this great club.” He becomes the first signing since Unai Emery’s appointment as head coach and will wear the number 12 shirt. Emery said: “Stephan brings huge experience and leadership to our squad. He’s a player with great quality with a very positive and determined attitude. Stephan will improve us on and off the pitch.”

Lichtsteiner has made over 250 appearances for Juventus and is the fourth-most capped player in Switzerland history with 99 appearances for his country. He has won seven Serie A titles, four Coppa Italias and three Italian Super Cups at Juventus after joining the club from Lazio in 2011. He is closing in on a century of caps for Switzerland, appearing at two European Championships and two World Cups. The Switzerland international arrived at the Gunners’ London Colney training base today, and becomes the first signing of the Unai Emery era. Lichtsteiner, who will wear the number 12 shirt at the Emirates.

Arsenal are on the verge of completing a deal to sign Borussia Dortmund defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos, according to reports in Germany. The Greece international is set to become the first signing of Unai Emery’s reign, although it has been Arsenal’s head of recruitment Sven Mislintat who has played a key role in recruiting the 29-year-old. Sky Germany report that Sokratis arrived in London on Sunday evening and had a medical on Monday. Arsenal are due to pay €20 million (£17.5m) for the central defender, who would’ve been out of contract with Dortmund next summer.

Stephan Lichtsteiner has admitted talks over a potential move to Arsenal are still ongoing with his deal at Juventus expiring this month. Sky Sports News understands Arsenal are in talks with right-back Lichtsteiner over a contract with the 34-year-old expected to become a free agent when he ends his seven-year spell with the Serie A champions. But reports a deal is done for the Swiss to join the Gunners has been dismissed by Lichtsteiner. Lichtsteiner is set to captain Switzerland at the World Cup and take his international caps to over 100. He has won seven Serie A titles, four Coppa Italias and three Italian Super Cups at Juventus after joining the club from Lazio in 2011.

Arsenal have launched a shock move to sign Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini on a free transfer after he rejected two contract offers to remain at Old Trafford. The thought of Fellaini signing for the Gunners would have seemed unthinkable under former manager Arsene Wenger, given his age and playing style, but times have changed and the new recruitment team at the Emirates Stadium see the appeal in adding him to the squad. Unai Emery wants to make Sevilla midfielder Steven N’Zonzi one of his first Arsenal signings this summer. The new Gunners boss has had to convince the club’s hierarchy to push ahead with a deal for the 29-year-old former Blackburn and Stoke star.

Arsenal showed some initial interest in the France international in January, but head of recruitment Sven Mislintat decided against taking it any further. However Emery, who signed N’Zonzi during his time in charge of Sevilla, is a huge admirer – and the player is also keen to link back up with his old boss. Mislintat is understood to be ready to sanction the deal after conversations with Emery about the player.

RB Leipzig midfielder Emil Forsberg could become Arsenal’s first signing since the appointment of Unai Emery as manager. Valued at £47m, the Swedish “anti-Zlatan” has also got antennae twitching at Atlético Madrid and Juventus. Freiburg’s Turkish defender Caglar Soyuncu has revealed that Arsenal are after him too and has said he’ll hold talks with the club in the coming weeks. Soyoncu will cost around £35m, while the Gunners also have Juventus full-back Stephan Lichtsteiner lined up in their cross-hairs. The Swiss international is available on a free transfer from 1 July and Arsenal are reported to have a deal in place to sign him.

Arsenal expect to make Borussia Dortmund star Sokratis Papastathopoulos their first signing of the summer. The Daily Mail claim a deal looks set to be done for around £15m. It is said the Gunners have also held talks with Freiburg over Caglar Soyuncu but his £30m price tag has put the north Londoners off. West Brom’s Jonny Evans is another option that Arsenal are looking into. Arsenal will face stiff competition for Nice star and top target Jean Michael Seri. A host of Premier League clubs have been linked with the French midfielder recently. And now The Sun claim Napoli and Borussia Dortmund have entered the fray. Seri – who has a tantalising £35m release clause – still reportedly fancies a move to Arsenal though.

Former Gunner Martin Keown insists Unai Emery must first focus on improving Arsenal’s defence – either in the transfer market or on the training ground. Keown told the Daily Mail: “He has to assess whether Arsenal’s central defenders are good enough for him. “Laurent Koscielny is out for six months, Per Mertesacker has retired, Shkodran Mustafi has had a difficult season and he also has two young defenders in Rob Holding and Calum Chambers. “There will have to be a different message with more emphasis on defence than attack.

Jean Michael Seri, Jonny Evans and Ousmane Dembele are all on Arsenal’s radar this summer but Gunners must sell to supplement their £50m budget. Unai Emery will have a transfer budget of around £50million for this summer and wants to strengthen in midfield and defence primarily. Head of recruitment Sven Mislintat and his scouting staff have watched a number of players but the budget dictates some Arsenal players will need to be sold. Here Sportsmail identifies some of the players under discussion and examines which players could be heading out the Emirates exit door.

Sokratis Papastathopoulos from Borussia Dortmund is valued at £15million and is expected to be the first arrival for Emery, the Greek centre back adds experience. Arsenal have also asked about Freiburg’s Caglar Soyuncu but his £30m price is an obstacle. Emery wanted Jean Michael Seri from Nice, now valued at £35million while at PSG and is keen to bring him to Arsenal but will face competition from Premier League rivals Chelsea and Manchester United, who have greater budgets to play with. Dennis Praet at Sampdoria for £18m and Roma’s Lorenzo Pellegrini for £26m would represent cheaper alternatives.

Jonny Evans is available from West Brom at £3million. Evans has a bargain price but it’s widely known that his agent wants a large commission of £4m, which has put off the likes of Manchester City and made Leicester re-think. Arsenal need a goalkeeper and Leno is ready to leave Bayer Leverkusen after they brought in Lukas Hradecky from Eintracht Frankfurt. He has turned down Napoli and wants regular first-team football. Bayer is asking £22million but it should be worth it.

Unai Emery is to become our new head coach. He joins the club after completing a two-year spell at Paris Saint-Germain, where he recently landed the treble of Ligue 1, Coupe de France and the Coupe de la Ligue. Unai, 46, previously spent three seasons with Sevilla, leading them to an unprecedented three consecutive Europa League titles, establishing the club as a major force in the Spanish league.

Announcing the appointment, chief executive Ivan Gazidis said: “Unai has an outstanding track record of success throughout his career, has developed some of the best young talent in Europe and plays an exciting, progressive style of football that fits Arsenal perfectly. His hard-working and passionate approach and his sense of values on and off the pitch make him the ideal person to take us forward. “We conducted a confidential, wide-ranging and rigorous search involving extensive background references, data and video analysis, and personal meetings with all the candidates we shortlisted. All were interested in the position and we were unanimous in our choice of Unai to drive the next chapter of our history.”

Unai said: “I am thrilled to be joining one of the great clubs in the game. Arsenal is known and loved throughout the world for its style of play, its commitment to young players, the fantastic stadium, the way the club is run. I’m very excited to be given the responsibility to start this important new chapter in Arsenal’s history. I have met Stan and Josh Kroenke and it’s clear they have great ambitions for the club and are committed to bringing future success. I’m excited about what we can do together and I look forward to giving everyone who loves Arsenal some special moments and memories.”

Unai started his coaching career at Lorca Deportiva in 2005 after playing mostly in the Spanish second division. He went on to coach Almeria, Valencia and Spartak Moscow before joining Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain.

Arsenal have announced Santi Cazorla will leave the club this summer, with his contract coming to an end next month. The Spaniard joined from Malaga in 2012 but had his time at the Emirates hampered by injuries, causing him to not have a first-team appearance to his name since October 2016, due to an Achilles’ injury, which needed a skin graft. Cazorla has had surgery on his injury several times and in November 2017 doctors told him he should be “satisfied” to walk again after contracting gangrene in his right ankle.

Chief executive Ivan Gazidis said: “Santi is always one of my favourite players to watch. His natural ability with both feet, his speed of thought and movement were central to our best performances in recent years. He plays with a joy and freedom which is very rare. We wish him well for the future and thank him for his important contribution to our club.”

The Independent reported last week that Cazorla was in line for a place in Mikel Arteta’s coaching staff should he have been given the job of replacing Arsene Wenger at the Emirates, but it talks have broken down and Unai Emery is expected to be announced as the club’s new manager. In total, Cazorla scored 29 goals in 180 appearances, helping the Gunners win two FA Cups in the process. Cazorla joined Arsenal from Malaga in 2012 for £17 million and emerged as one of their most influential players on the pitch in his role as a deeper-lying playmaker. Arsenal struggled mightily to make up for his absence, with their lack of a dominant central midfielder one of the reasons for two consecutive Premier League finishes outside the top four.

“I am very sad to be leaving after so many great times,” Cazorla said. “I have loved my time with the club. I will always remember the special moments we had together. The FA Cup in 2014 is something we will never forget. “I am very proud to be part of this club’s history.”

Arsenal are set to appoint Unai Emery as their new manager. Manchester City assistant manager and former Gunners captain Mikel Arteta was strong favourite to succeed Arsene Wenger. Emery emerged as the unanimous choice following a recruitment process in which all candidates were spoken to. The 46-year-old Spaniard is available after leaving Paris St-Germain where he won one Ligue 1 title and four domestic cups in two seasons in charge. Previously he guided Sevilla to three consecutive Europa League triumphs between 2014 and 2016. Emery announced last month he would leave French champions PSG when his contract expired at the end of the season. He was replaced by former Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel, who had also been linked with the Arsenal job.

Emery’s English is not completely fluent but the language barrier is not expected to be a problem. An announcement and news conference are expected later this week. After Wenger’s departure was announced, the betting odds on Emery replacing him were at one stage as long as 66-1 – placing him behind the likes of former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood. Other candidates included Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri and former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti, as well as former Arsenal players Arteta, Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira.

The recruitment process was led by Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis, head of football relations Raul Sanllehi and head of recruitment Sven Mislintat – though the final decision would be down to majority shareholder and owner Stan Kroenke. Wenger, 68, left the Gunners at the end of season after 22 years in charge, during which he won three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups, including two Doubles.

Arsenal are in the midst of hiring their first new manager in 22 years after Arsene Wenger’s departure from the club. Former captain and midfielder Mikel Arteta – currently coaching at Manchester City – is the favourite for the job, and what is expected to be a major overhaul at the Emirates Stadium. The new boss will embark on the club’s second successive season without Champions League football, with the Gunners having finished a whopping 37 points behind title winners Manchester City. Yesterday marked precisely two years since Mikel Arteta stood at the bottom of the Emirates Stadium tunnel in tears, trying to compose himself for the last interview of his playing career.

And now it looks more and more likely that he will return as the new man in charge. Granted it’s not how it was with Wenger who was taking care of everything but…. still are the board really going to replace two mediocre years for the club and the exit of Wenger, a manager for the past 22 years with Arteta? Fans want Enrique, Ancellotti, Simeone or Allegri – the latter who seems to be the massive favourite to replace Arsene. But the board are looking at Arteta! If the board appoints Arteta, it’s a step in the wrong direction. It shows that they went for the cheaper option, someone they can control a lot and make him a yes man.

And that seems just like the thing that this spineless & gutless board under that cockroach Kronke would do.